ABA Accepting Applications for New Examiners

The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) is now accepting applications for anesthesiologists currently practicing in private practices and academic medical centers to examine for our APPLIED Exams. Through their service, our volunteer examiners help us establish and uphold the highest standards of the practice of anesthesiology.

To be eligible, diplomates must:

• Hold a valid, unexpired certificate in anesthesiology
• Have been certified no later than 2019
• Be clinically active in the practice of anesthesiology or a recognized anesthesiology subspecialty, on average, at least one day per week during 12 consecutive months over the previous three years

Additionally, all applicants who are selected as examiners must be “Participating in MOCA” during their entire service term as an ABA volunteer.

Examiner Commitment

Applicants should be prepared for the following commitment:

• Devote two weeks as an examiner – one week onsite and one week remote to score OSCEs – every year for 22 consecutive years or until they reach the age of 65
• Remain clinically active for their entire examiner tenure and successfully complete the MOCA program
• Refrain from participating in any activity that may constitute a conflict of interest (e.g., practice APPLIED Exams when a fee is charged, participate in courses solely devoted to preparing candidates to secure ABA certification)

We recognize the time commitment from our examiners and their organizations. This year we have updated our requirements to include a letter of recommendation from the diplomate’s department chair or practice administrator. This letter replaces the three diplomate references that were previously required for applicants.  

We administer the APPLIED Examinations at our assessment center in Raleigh, N.C., and examiners are typically invited to one onsite exam week every 12 months. For each onsite exam week, examiners serve Sunday afternoon through the following Thursday afternoon. We cover reasonable travel and hotel expenses and provide modest service and travel per diems. We also expect examiners to commit to one week of remote OSCE scoring in addition to the one week onsite. Examiners receive 24 hours of Category 2 CME credits during the onsite exam week and 9 hours of Category 2 CME credits for remote OSCE scoring, which may be reported to the AMA for its Physician Recognition Award.

How to Apply

Diplomates who meet the eligibility criteria have been contacted and provided a link to the online application. Diplomates must submit their applications by Aug. 15. The application includes demographic information, details on why they would like to volunteer and a letter of recommendation from their department chair or practice administrator. Current examiners do not need to apply. We encourage diplomates who have applied in the past but have not been selected as an examiner to apply again.

We will notify applicants who have been selected as new examiners in February. New examiners will deliver their first exam in either 2023 or 2024.

If you have questions, please email our staff at examiner.nominations@theABA.org.